Aquariums and terrariums are used to house a wide variety of living aquatic and terrestrial animals and plants. These housings can be fabricated with many different types of materials and in many shapes and sizes. Successful maintenance of organisms in these housings often requires simulating the characteristics of the organism's natural environment. One of the most important physical characteristics to accurately reproduce is temperature.
Aquariums and terrariums are usually placed in locations where ambient temperatures constantly vary between 68° F. and 78° F. throughout the day. This temperature range is maintained both for the comfort and work efficiency of human occupants and to control energy costs. In many cases, temperature fluctuations in these locations often exceed the full temperature range as room heating and cooling equipment cycle on and off. It is well known that large temperature fluctuations are detrimental to the health and well being of many organisms housed in aquariums and terrariums. As a result, heating and cooling equipment are frequently added to aquariums and to some extent terrariums in order to modify and maintain temperatures more appropriate for the inhabitants.
Common temperature control equipment for aquariums and terrariums include resistive and radiative heaters, chillers utilizing compressors and thermoelectric technologies, and associated thermostats, sensors, and switching circuits. The volume of the aquarium or terrarium and ambient temperature characteristics dictate the sophistication, complexity, and capacity of the equipment required for successful temperature control. Thermostats and temperature sensing electronics which cycle heaters and coolers on and off are critical components of temperature control systems. The more accurate and precise the temperature control requirements the more sophisticated the thermostat and switching technology. Typically, increased sophistication results in substantially increased equipment costs.
It is common to control aquarium water temperature by submersing one or more self-contained combination heater-thermostat devices. Temperature control may also be accomplished by utilizing more sophisticated systems involving the submersion of a temperature probe which communicates with an external control unit in contact with aquarium water. In each of these methods the aquarium water makes direct contact with the heating or cooling element. As a result, heating and cooling elements must be inert to protect inhabitants and water tight to protect electronic components from malfunction. Unfortunately, this equipment often is difficult to troubleshoot and must be replaced frequently to guarantee safety to inhabitants.
Terrariums are often heated with electrical elements buried in the substrate materials inside the terrarium, electrical objects constructed to look like rocks and other natural materials, and through the use of long wave-length radiation emitters positioned outside the terrarium, or a combination thereof.
Small volume aquariums and terrariums present unique difficulties for heating and cooling equipment, as common malfunctions in thermostat and switches can rapidly push temperatures into lethal ranges. Addressing these problems is usually not economical. Additionally, as aquarium and terrarium volume is decreased, heating and cooling equipment and associated electrical cords and components require a greater percentage of container volume which decreases available space for inhabitants, are difficult to hide from view, and significantly decreases the aesthetic characteristics of the aquarium or terrarium.
Therefore, there is a need for simple, convenient, and aesthetically pleasing methods and devices, for controlling the temperature of small and medium sized aquaria and terraria.